Learning is fostered in environments where students feel safe, engaged, connected, and supported in their classroom and schools. Students who are emotionally and mentally well engage better in their learning. We must equip schools with resources to support every student’s mental health. Currently, there is no dedicated funding to schools for mental health in the state budget. Texas students deserve more.
Read the full Op Ed in the Texas Tribune
Octavio N. Martinez, Jr. is the executive director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health and senior associate vice president for diversity and community engagement at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also a clinical professor in UT’s Steve Hicks School of Social Work and professor of psychiatry at Dell Medical School.